In February, more than 136,000 visitors from 143 countries will converge on Frankfurt, Germany, to immerse themselves in the biggest homewares trade fair in the world. The annual Ambiente fair spans dining, giftware and living goods categories, and fills hundreds of thousands of square metres

Fast fashion retailer Cotton On has sashayed into the popular homewares market with the launch of its new range, CO:Home. It has also priced the range as competitively as its clothing, with over 70 percent of the items available for under NZ$30.

As the popularity of craft markets began to wane, Hawke’s Bay artist Andy Heyward and others began to look at other ways of getting their products in front of customers. The answer was to enter the traditional bricks and mortar realm, and set up a

Collected sells just about everything. The brainchild of interior stylist, magazine writer and TV presenter LeeAnn Yare, it contain homewares, art, vintage items, books, shoes and bags, jewellery and more. It’s now moved into a large warehouse space in Newmarket.

Four Laura Ashley stores operating in New Zealand have closed, owing creditors $2.3 million. First Retail managing director Chris Wilkinson believes that the brand probably didn’t move enough with the time and trends.

Some people open a shop to make a profit and not much else, and others have different designs in mind. Wife and husband team Gem Adams and Nathan Speeden launched their Napier-based homeware store Blackbird Goods in September last year - and last